I’ve always been impressed when readers have mentioned some of their favorite stores for workwear on Etsy — and I’ve even bookmarked a few over the years! Still, Etsy can be a pretty big place, so I asked Ashley Wermick, a fashion writer and editor, to take a look to kick off the discussion — what are YOUR favorite Etsy stores for workwear? What are you constantly on the hunt for that you hope an indie/custom seller can help you find? (Welcome to Corporette, Ashley!) – Kat

Sure, you’ve browsed Etsy to find handmade candles, quirky art, or even bridesmaids’ gifts — but how about office attire? There are hundreds of shops that sell professional, well-made clothes that can take you from the boardroom to casual Friday and beyond.

Here are seven Etsy shops to watch for workwear. Not only will you snag some stylish new duds, but you’ll help support indie sellers and small business owners. It’s a win-win.

heartmycloset

Does Olivia Pope give you major wardrobe envy? Do you wish you could dress like Beyoncé on the daily? Then look no further than heartmycloset.

With designs based on TV characters, celebrities and vintage silhouettes, shop owner Cynthia creates inspired workwear in your choice of color and fabric, tailored to fit you perfectly. Because items are made to order, you can customize the fit — and the style — to suit your needs. Prices range from $66-$190.

Whether you’ve got a small apartment closet or yours rivals that of Kim Kardashian’s, reviewing your clothes on a seasonal basis is still a great idea. I’ve always been a fan of seasonal clothes storage, using clear sweater bags to store out-of-season fabrics, colors, and styles — as well as physically moving out-of-season clothing to the back of the closet, and moving more seasonally-appropriate clothing to the front. I even do this with socks (I only wear no-show ankle socks in the summer) and lingerie (I don’t wear lacy bras with summer t-shirts and dresses, and I’ve also found I have a preference for unlined bras in the summer, as a foam lining or whatnot can feel a bit hot). Some pros to a seasonal clothing review that I’ve found over the years:

I’ve noticed a few trends that seem to be EVERYWHERE of late, and I thought we’d discuss, if only because so many of them seem inappropriate for officewear — I’d love to hear your thoughts. What trends WON’T you wear to work? Every office is different, of course — know yours! — but it’s always fascinating to hear the reasoning behind them. I was intrigued to see readers noting that any lace-up shoes (including flats) were inappropriate for their offices, if only because that feels like a trend that’s been around for several years, and while I can see the sex appeal of lace-up high heels, the flats struck me as almost ho-hum. On the flip side, jumpsuits for work seem to be something that’s gaining ground, with tons of readers noting that they’ve worn jumpsuits to the office regularly. As we’ve noted before regarding trends and a conservative office, we’re against any trend that’s body baring, illogical, or too “new.”

We just rounded up a ton of great black heels for interviews and beyond — and they’re such a basic, versatile piece in your work wardrobe you hopefully don’t need TOO many ideas for how to wear them to work. Still, I thought it would be fun to come up with a few work outfit ideas, including a very conservative/classic interview outfit.

The Very Conservative Interview Outfit

The ultimate goal of any interview outfit is to not have your clothes distract from your resume, your accomplishments, and your words. Note that your heels should be walkable — enough so that you can trek to a restaurant two blocks away (and back) in comfort. If you’re buying your first suit, do check out our recent roundup of suits for every budget, as well as The Corporette Guide to Interview Suits!

A note on pants suits vs. skirt suits: Skirt suits used to be considered the most formal option, but pants suits are accepted almost everywhere these days. (Stay tuned — we’ll do a poll very soon to get a broader voice on the topic.) Still, there are benefits to the skirt suit that make it worth discussing. First, if you’re buying a budget suit, it’s FAR easier to find a skirt that looks good by itself than suiting pants that look good by themselves. Second, if you’re buying suiting separates, I always think you should seriously consider buying all of the pieces that are offered — and hey, you’ve got to wear the skirt suit sometime, right? (Pro tip: don’t forget to dryclean your suiting separates together, too, so the wear is consistent.) Finally: if it’s raining, snowing, or other nasty weather, I’ve always preferred a skirt or dress — nothing’s worse than wet pant hems! (Proper rainboots are great for your regular commute, but if you’re going to have limited options for changing shoes once you arrive, you may want to read our old advice on how to interview in a snowstorm.)

One of our top posts of all time is one a friend suggested I write, back in the early days of the blog: how to dress professionally if you’re busty. We haven’t offered busty women style tips in a while, so I thought we’d discuss. But let me be clear at the outset: there’s nothing inherently unprofessional about being busty — women come in all shapes and sizes. I’m not about to suggest you go buy a minimizer and try to pretend that you’re a 34B. But: dressing well while busty can be a challenge because so many clothes are made with other body shapes in mind — and for work it can be particularly trying since so many conservative styles are rooted in menswear. Furthermore, if you wear something that obviously does not fit or has fit issues (gaping, pulling) it reflects a judgement call. So — here are some new tips and guidelines on how to dress for work if you’re busty, from someone who’s been everything from a 30F to a 38G over the years…

(Pictured: If you’re petite and busty this is yet another reason to watch Crazy Ex Girlfriend — her work outfits are mostly hits for me. The video this screenshot is from is hilarious (“Heavy Boobs”), but it is probably NSFW.)

Finding the Right Bra is Half the Battle

Invest in a great bra that fits you. The right bra will lift you up and support you. It will not give you quadboob. It may have an odd size that you’ve never even heard of before (28FF, for example). The right bra will not make you worry about falling out of it when you bend over. It will not cut into your shoulders (that’s a sign your band size is too big) or fall off your shoulders. (Note that your straps can be shortened at the tailor — and that you can check out lingerie brands just for petites, like The Little Bra Company, Lula Lu, or even the Bare Necessities special section for petites). A good bra will take work to find and may cost you some money, but it will be worth it in spades. I highly recommend going to a bra shop and getting fitted — think Nordstrom, not Victoria’s Secret (link goes to to one woman’s fitting experience at VS with lots of pictures; probably NSFW). In NYC I’ve used Bratenders over the years and La Petite Coquette — I’ve also heard great things about Linda’s Bra Shop — and in London I’ve been fitted at Rigby & Peller. Ladies who have a favorite shop in your city, please shout it out in the comments. Once you know your size you can watch for sales; I tend to get new bras at Nordstrom’s sales, Bare Necessities sales, or even sometimes Amazon.

Today was supposed to be part two of our suits roundup but, well, it’s taking too long and I don’t want to slap something up half-finished. So here’s an interesting question that came up yesterday in the comments — can you wear denim for going out clothes after 25? Is there an age limit, or is it just not cool to do anymore? What are your favorite things to wear for going out? (Update: here’s our latest discussion on going out bags, too.)

For my $.02, I still occasionally wear denim for going out, but our date nights are usually pretty casual, as are girls’ night outs as most of my good friends have small kids at this point and we’re either too tired to paint the town red, or because someone needs to stay at home for lack of a babysitter so we go over there instead.When I was dating I never liked to wear dresses on early dates — guys reacted weirdly as if I had “dressed up” for them, and when things started to get physical, I found dresses too binary, if that makes sense — they’re either on or they’re off. (Interesting to ponder: in Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn explained “the Cool Girl,” which to my mind always meant jeans + cool top — dresses or a jumpsuit would seem too fussy to me.) Of course all of this is just more information — what ultimately matters is what you want to wear when you go out, not what your partner wants you/expects you to wear, or what other friends or some mythical Cool Girl are wearing.

So let’s hear it, ladies — what do you like to wear to go out? Do you dress differently than you did in your early 20s for going out? What are you looking forward to wearing for summer evening outings?